New Oakland Athletics designated hitter/first baseman Billy Butler has sold a pedigreed Cactus League property in Scottsdale, Ariz., for $2 million.
Butler, who joined the A's on a three-year, $30-million pact this offseason, purchased the home from...

The summary
The White Sox used a six-run fourth inning to pull away from the A's in a 10-4 victory. Designated hitter Jose Abreu and center fielder Adam Eaton each hit a two-run double during the surge.
At the plate
Sox catcher Rob Brantly and...

The summary
The Cubs opened the exhibition season with split-squad games in which they couldn't hold leads. In Mesa, Mike Olt staked the Cubs to a 2-0 lead on a home run off Barry Zito, but the Athletics held the Cubs to three hits over the final seven...

San Francisco 8, Cubs 6
Cubs 2, Oakland 2
The summary: Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs' first pick in the 2014 draft, hit a grand slam in his first spring at-bat against the world champion Giants, but the Giants rallied for five runs in the bottom of the...

World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner was roughed up in his exhibition debut, and Marcus Semien hit a pair of home runs as the Oakland Athletics opened their new spring training home by beating the champion San Francisco Giants 9-4 Tuesday.
Bumgarner gave up four runs in 1 2-3 innings, allowing Semien's two-run shot in the first. The tall lefty was tagged for five hits and struck out two.
"Right now I'm not worried about results," Bumgarner said. "It's about getting my body back in the rhythm of making...

World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner was roughed up in his exhibition debut, and Marcus Semien hit a pair of home runs as the Oakland Athletics opened their new spring training home by beating the champion San Francisco Giants 9-4 Tuesday.
Bumgarner gave up four runs in 1 2-3 innings, allowing Semien's two-run shot in the first. The tall lefty was tagged for five hits and struck out two.
Bumgarner led the Giants to the title last October, giving up just one run in 21 innings against Kansas City.
A's...

Pat Venditte is used to it by now. Teammates, coaches and others regularly stop him for a chance to check out his one-of-a-kind glove, the same one he has used for years featuring space for either hand.
Venditte is a rare switch-pitcher. He hopes that versatility will make him a perfect fit for an Oakland club that values it so much.
While there is intrigue with his unique ability, Venditte is determined to make his mark at Athletics spring training with little fanfare and do whatever he can to find a...

Billy Beane knows the Yoenis Cespedes question is coming, because it's always looming when you talk about the A's these days.
This is seven months after the A's general manager controversially dealt Cespedes for pending free agent ace Jon Lester, and five months after the A's lost the A.L. wild-card game to Kansas City with Lester on the mound.
This is spring training 2015, with a ton of new A's faces, not July 2014, when the A's had the best record in baseball and Cespedes in the middle of the lineup....

Before the San Francisco Giants enjoyed their third parade in five years, before a Chevrolet executive memorably advised World Series most valuable player Madison Bumgarner he had won a truck equipped with "technology and stuff," before the "Mad Bum" underwear hit the stores, the Giants' ace won the World Series by throwing 185 pitches in four days.
"I can't lie to you anymore," Bumgarner said after Game 7. "I'm a little tired now."
The winter of rest is over, for Bumgarner and for baseball. Spring...

Less than five months after acquiring Yoenis Cespedes as part of a big deadline deal, the Boston Red Sox traded the slugging outfielder to help bolster their rotation.
The Detroit Tigers were happy to take him.
Boston sent Cespedes to the Tigers on Thursday for right-hander Rick Porcello in a deal that both teams hope will help fill significant needs. The Red Sox are rebuilding their starting pitching after losing 91 games this year, and Detroit was able to add another power hitter to a lineup that...